The changing of the guard at St. John’s has been put into fast forward.

Suddenly we are looking at a team that no longer is the sole property of Daryll Hill. His aching left knee, which could be problematic the rest of the season, has forced coach Norm Roberts to go to Plan B sooner than expected.

With Hill’s status uncertain, Eugene Lawrence, who is accustomed to playing in the shadow of more publicized point guards, has had to make the transition from support player to team leader.

Lawrence never was better than he was Tuesday night in the Red Storm’s 63-39 win over Columbia in the semifinals of the Holiday Festival. He scored 12 points on 3-of-3 shooting from behind the arc, had five rebounds, eight assists and two turnovers in 33 minutes.

“I thought Eugene Lawrence was unbelievable out there,” Roberts said after the game. “He was great, the best he’s been since he’s been here. He was a terrific point guard. He ran the team. He controlled everything we did out there. He was the best player tonight, and when he does those things, we are a very good team.”

The Red Storm (6-4) needed Lawrence to be as good last night if they were to win their 14th Holiday Festival title. Massachusetts (5-3), which throttled St. Peter’s 66-49, was bigger than St. John’s at almost every position.

Roberts said his team would have to use speed and quickness, as it did in last year’s championship win over N.C. State, to offset the Minutemen’s height. They blocked 16 shots against the Peacocks, led by Stephane Lasme, who had eight rejections.

That Lawrence could be the Red Storm’s future at point guard seemed borderline preposterous when he signed out of Lincoln High, where he was Sebastian Telfair’s wingman. Lawrence was expected to push Hill, who missed both games of this tournament because of a flareup of the knee injury, in practice.

But with the Red Storm down to eight scholarship players and offensively challenged last season, Roberts began using Lawrence more at the point, allowing Hill to concentrate on scoring.

When the Red Storm got a verbal commitment from point guard Doug Wiggan, Lawrence’s run as the starting lead guard figured to end after this season, even if Hill left for the NBA Draft, which seemed likely.

But Wiggan pulled an 11th hour change of mind and recently signed with home-state Connecticut. If Hill leaves after this season, Lawrence clearly would be the most experienced point guard remaining.

Hill’s knee injury now muddles any future plans. He missed the Hofstra game with what has been diagnosed as a roughing of the hyline cartilage, the smooth surface behind the kneecap. Trainer Ron Linfonte said it’s probable Hill’s season will continue with an unpredictable pattern of playing and rest.

“Without Daryll, I knew I had to play harder,” Lawrence said after the Columbia win. “There are things that he does defensively, and without him I knew I had to pick it up and lead by example.”